Okay, so just to get this out the way right from the start, pirating games is a shitty thing to do. I used to laugh at those ads on old DVD’s that would equate stealing a movie to stealing a car, but as I’ve matured and become more ingrained in the culture of games and movies, pirating just sucks. People work for literal years to make that content and to deny them pay for their hard work is a dick move. However this is the Flamebait Friday Debate, so I don’t want this to turn into a big ol’ preach, but rather ask a question I’ve been juggling with recently: Should I buy the Telltale games or pirate them?
I ask this because it was announced recently that nearly all of Telltale’s catalogue of games would be disappearing off Good Old Games and the future is uncertain when it comes to their distribution over other digital storefronts. Now, as I’m sure you no doubt know, there was a huge furore last year when Telltale Games suddenly shut their doors and let their entire workforce go without any kind of severance package.
It was a devastating blow for many and I think for the industry it was one of the main events that reignited the discussion around worker’s rights in the games industry. On a personal level, it hit me really hard too. I adore the Telltale Games; Hell, I dreamed of working for them one day. They demonstrated some of the finest scene and character writing ever put in video games and really pushed the envelope on well-paced, well-structured video game writing.
But now that Telltale has been gone for just under a year now, what happens to their games? I don’t think anyone really knows. In the music and film industries, royalties can be paid out to relatives or representatives whenever old footage or audio is used after the artist’s death, but nothing like that exists in video games. How would it even work, with massive teams only able to take a small percentage anyway, they’d probably walk away with a pittance.
So my question for the FFD is more of a moral conundrum: Is it better to pirate Telltale Games? None of the original developers will receive that income and, for all we know it’ll end up in the pocket of some bigwig shareholder who didn’t pour their blood, sweat and tears into those games. The thought of that kinda pisses me off, but in the same breath we’d still be stealing their work, right?
So what’s the solution to this? Do you think it’s better to pirate a game if you don’t know where the money is going or would you still classify that as theft? I won’t be marking answers out of 10 this week because I think this is a little more serious than Videogame Dentist.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Critical Hit as an organisation.
Last Updated: May 31, 2019
Gr8_Balls_o_Fire
May 31, 2019 at 12:07
Already paid for mine so no discussion here.
G8crasha
May 31, 2019 at 12:15
Two wrongs never make a right! It’s like saying: You robbed me, so I’ll rob you. In the eyes of the law, you are as guilty as the other person. The law is the law. There is no middle ground. There are many old games that you can still buy, but the development studio has long since closed, as has the publisher, so the same question can be asked there: Is it okay to pirate those games?
Without a doubt, I used to pirate…who hasn’t, but nowadays I steer well clear of that. If I don’t pay I don’t play.
Admiral Chief
May 31, 2019 at 12:15
Pirating is too much hassle. Finding game, downloading game from dodgy place, cracking game, getting crack that works, game updates not working, have to download game again, nee dankie
CorpusCrispy
June 1, 2019 at 09:19
That’s absolutely not true anymore. It’s quicker and easier to download and install fitgirls repacks than it is to obtain from official sources. Not only does it not require third party software, the file compression can turn 50gb worth of game files into a 15-20gb download. If it’s an exclusively singleplayer game, I’ll still download the repacked version after purchasing it through steam and I find I usually have better gaming performance with them as well. So, it’s certainly not more of a hassle for people who aren’t going to pay for it regardless.
Pariah
May 31, 2019 at 12:15
Pretty much this. It’s not about whether or not the original devs are getting it in this case. Criminals aren’t getting the money, and it’s about personal morals. Where do you set the standard for yourself? If you can do it now, all it takes is a few tiny shifts and suddenly you’re pirating anything that moves.
Brad Lang
May 31, 2019 at 12:24
See, in the case of Telltale, I’m super skeptical about where my money goes. I would rather pirate one of their games so I can in some way support the developers rather than putting money in the pocket of some executive that screwed all those people over. Because either way, the people who actually created the work isn’t getting anything out of it. But if we buy, we still help those big wigs that have done a lot of wrong. Idk I’m still conflicted about this whole thing.
If anything, this whole situation has made me think about royalties in the game industry. When artists die, their art isn’t removed and deleted from existence. Those royalties go to some kind of estate. It would be great to have some kind of system like that for devs.
Pariah
May 31, 2019 at 12:24
This is actually just how all business works. If you work for a company, anything you produce on-duty (and in some cases off-duty too) – belongs to the company, not you. The same is said for the devs. Their work was paid for, through salaries etc. Whereas with musicians, the individuals own their work, and therefore that ownership can be passed on through their estates. Simply put, employees do not now, nor will they ever own their work unless specifically provided for in their contracts.
If you want to support those devs, find out where they’re working now, and buy those games. Or help them find new places to ply their trade.
As for piracy – it’s theft. No matter if it’s a greedy asshole who gets it, theft is theft. I don’t like how many companies do business, and it’s the execs/investors who profit from increased sales, not the staff. This would be true whether that company is still in business or not. That doesn’t give me the right to steal their stuff.
HvR
May 31, 2019 at 12:50
Your money goes into a the US equivalent of a holding account.
After everything is sold that can be sold from the company the money the company made during this time and the money of sales is used to pay everyone a little bit of the money owed to them by Telltale
Admiral Chief
May 31, 2019 at 12:15
Evil is Evil. Lesser, greater, middling… Makes no difference. The degree is arbitrary. The definition’s blurred. If I’m to choose between one evil and another… YO HO HO ARRRRRRR FILTHY COMPANY
konfab
May 31, 2019 at 12:16
The IP is still owned by someone who paid for it.
That being said, if the people who own it don’t want people to pay for it (by pulling it from distribution) then I don’t see anything wrong as they have signalled that they don’t want to make any money from it.
Pariah
May 31, 2019 at 12:24
So if I make something. And decide not to sell it. It’s fine if someone steals it?
What if I was given something, and don’t want to sell it? What if I bought something, and don’t want to sell it? And what about access to it? Is my private home now perfectly fine for people to use, even if I don’t want to give the public access to it?
konfab
May 31, 2019 at 12:33
That argument doesn’t really work if you are dealing with something that can be copied with no cost.
You won’t be deprived of your house if someone steals a copy of the designs.
Pariah
May 31, 2019 at 12:33
Ah but I’m simply answering your argument here, trying to point out the flaws in it. “They have signalled that they don’t want to make any money from it”. That’s really not a good argument there.
And just because you CAN copy it, doesn’t make it legal. It’s up to your own morals and standards, really. Some people are ok with theft, some aren’t. To me, there are times where there’s grey area, and there are times when there’s a clear line. This is the latter. Theft is theft, easy or not, low cost or not.
konfab
May 31, 2019 at 13:09
First separate morality and legality. They should follow each other, but not be constrained by each other.
Legally, the IP is owned by someone, that is, they can claim a copyright infringement on someone who uses their software without a licence. Which means they can sue you for any lost revenue that occurred by the use of the software
If they are not selling the software in any form whatsoever, they won’t be able to sue for any revenue lost as they cannot prove they are making any revenue from the product.
Magoo
May 31, 2019 at 13:20
HEYYY finally something we can disagree on. I knew you were too good to be true. 🙁
Pariah
May 31, 2019 at 13:38
LOL no two people will ever agree on everything. Just means we’re human. 😀
Milesh Bhana
May 31, 2019 at 12:24
Honestly, I’m all for piracy in this case. These are amazing games, and it’s only a matter of time before you can’t play them. Cracks remove DRM. It’s the only way to preserve history.
I’m really hoping that someone buys the rights, has a firesale and sells us DRM free versions, that would be first prize.
Actually, first prize would be if Humble got those rights, if it can’t go to the Devs, it might as well go to a charity.
Brad Lang
May 31, 2019 at 12:24
Humble dedicated those funds to someone like Game Workers Unite would amazing.
Magoo
May 31, 2019 at 13:19
I have a very unpopular opinion when it comes to pirating. The two reasons I don’t do it are not the same as yours. #1 My internet connection is too slow to download games. #2 I don’t want to support the concept of piracy.
R1000 for a game? I don’t have that money. Period, end of story, good bye. If I don’t think that the game is worth R1000, which 99/100 it is not, I have no problem playing an illegal version. Either that or I don’t play it.
I don’t pirate anything though because I don’t want to support the concept of piracy. That is to say, getting media for free that you can otherwise afford. Mostly flicks, music, series, etc. Don’t want to be a part of that.
HvR
May 31, 2019 at 12:33
The IP is not in limbo it is part of the assets of Telltale that will need to be sold of as part of the liquidation.
The reason the games are being pulled is because during a liquidation process the company’s books are closed and they cease to exist as a financial entity and no longer able to legally receive funds.
If the games are pirated enmass the potential resale value drops and the IP will be sold for less. So the people, most of them probably employees, being owed by Telltale will loose out. Ironically this is the probably the only time that when you pirate something you are directly stealing from the devs.
Kromas
May 31, 2019 at 12:50
If the game is completely unavailable for you to purchase go ahead pirate it. But for now you can still buy Telltale games anywhere and if you plan on playing it you can’t make that reservation. Just buy the damn games.
Guz
May 31, 2019 at 13:00
Agreed on only as a last resort if you cant get the game anywhere else